Swift Current
by Kyoko Flickers
Summary: Ren and Kyoko have worked together before. What would happen if they worked together again? Will Kyoko finally find out how Ren feels about her? Rated T for some language and sexual references later on...
1. A Slight Misunderstanding

**_((This was my first attempt at a 'I', 'me', one person view story... I felt really wierd writing it... but I think it's turning out fine! This story takes place after they finish "Dark Moon" and Kyoko has a new (small time) job. Chiharu Asano is a OC character, by the way... Please enjoy and comments are welcome. More chapters are to come soon~))_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand name product mentioned in my stories... as much as I wish I did..._**

**_Swift Current_**

**_Chapter One... A Slight Misunderstanding..._**

"Kyoko-chan! That's good! You can change and go home now!"

Hearing my name, I perked up. Staring blankly forward, I tried to remember where I was. It's always like this when I get 'In Character'. A smile slid on to my make-up covered face as I looked back at the director from my spot on the set. "Yes," I said, bowing in his direction. "Thank you!"

Making my way quickly to the changing room, I carefully changed out of my costume, taking off my snow white wig as I did so. Looking in the mirror, I almost had to laugh. _Oh! I forgot to take my makeup off again!!_While I dabbed at the drawn on wrinkles covering my face with a moist towel, Chiharu-san walked in.

"Kyoko-chan? I thought you would be gone by now?" Chiharu Asano asked in a surprised tone.

"Oh, Chiharu-san! I was just about to when I noticed I had left my makeup on!" I explained as the veteran actress sat down at the vanity next to mine.

"Again? Kyoko-chan, you should really try to remember things like that." Chiharu-san scolded in a motherly voice.

"I know." I went back to attempting to remove all the make up. "Maybe playing this old woman role is starting to have side effects." I joked.

"You do play a convincing elderly woman. Ahh. Here, dear. Let me get it. You're missing a lot." She took the towel and began to erase the evidence off my face. Opening one eye, I watched as my senpai worked slowly. _I never noticed before, but Chiharu-san is very beautiful! I still remember when I met Chiharu-san on the first day of shooting. She was so sweet and considerate._ Chiharu Asano, an actress a little over 30 years old, with flowing black hair down to her waist. Her face is as gentle looking as a lambs. One would say she looked more like a 23 year old collage student than a married woman and mother of a 3 year old boy. She has been preforming in plays and movies since she was in 4th grade, is famous around the world, has made a fortune, and married her high school sweet heart. Truly a gifted actress on top of that. _If that wasn't enough to gain my admiration, Tsuruga-san had also praised her when I told him about my new job here. He had said he worked with her in a few movies and on a drama. Even before I met her, I respected her, because Tsuruga-san called her a good and reliable actress._ A bigger smile bubbled across my face as the older actress finished cleaning it up.

Chiharu-san blinked. "What? Are you that happy the makeup is off?" she asked, commenting on my smile.

I shook my head. "No, I was just thinking about when I first met you." Lowering my head, I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Actually, I was sort of nervous to meet you. You're so famous and all, I didn't think you would turn out to be so nice."

"And is that a problem? My being nice?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"NO! No no no no no!!" I responded, furiously waving my hands back and forth. "I'm happy you're nice! I had heard before hand you were nice, too! Tsuruga-san assured me that you were one of the most professional and friendly people I could be working with."

"You know Tsuruga-kun?" The other eyebrow shot up.

"Eh? Y-yes. Tsuruga-san works at LME with me. I also worked with him in the drama "Dark Moon". He is a very nice person and helps me out with my acting quite a bit!" The more I seemed to speak, the wider my smile seemed grow. Chiharu-san raised her eyebrows higher.

"Hmm... I see..."

"Huh?" I looked at the wicked grin spreading across my senpai's smooth features. "What?"

Chiharu-san chuckled. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how it was to be young again."

"Young again? But you're still so young and beautiful, Chiharu-san!!"

"Hehe, yes," she said softly, patting my head and ruffling my hair. "I am young, but I have already passed the 'young love' stage of my youth. It just seemed funny to me." She giggled at the blank stare I gave her.

Ignoring her laughter, I stared straight at Chiharu-san. "Wha.... What do you mean by 'young love' stage, Chiharu-san...?"

Taking control of the giggle fit she was having, the elder actress looked down at my confused face. "I meant the way you speak of Tsuruga-kun so highly sounds like you're infatuated with him. It's completely understandable, seeing as he _IS _Ren Tsuruga. Model, actor, and a totally nice guy. You even work with him. That means you get to be closer and in more contact with him than all his fans, right? I just assumed you had a little crush on him."

"WHA...!!!" I could feel my face becoming hotter. Standing up quickly, I attempted to explain. "I-I do NOT harbor any feelings towards Tsuruga-san beside my professional respect!"

"Uh-huh. Right..." Chiharu-san said in a sarcastic tone, also standing and grabbing her purse. "Lie to yourself all you want," she sighed, turning and opening the door. "... but you can't lie to me. Call it... woman's intuition. Bye bye, Kyoko-chan." With a giggle and a wink, she was gone, leaving me behind in a muddled and flushed huff.

**_((Yeah, that was really short... -_- Oh well. ))_**


	2. A Chance Meeting

**_((Whoo~ Next chapter. Please enjoy~))_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand name product mentioned in my story._**

**_Swift Current_**

**_Chapter Two... A Chance Meeting..._**

The hallways at the LME talent agency were unusually empty today as I walked slowly down the hall past the reception area to the elevators. I was here to have a meeting with Sawara-san and the President, Takarada-san, to discuss the movie I have recently been accepted to be in. _For a novice actress like me, 17 years old and only being in acting for about a year, this is a big deal and I have to make sure I work hard._

_**{START FLASHBACK}**_

_About a week ago, Kyoko walked into the President's office, unsure as how to prepare herself. She had been called by the President himself over the PA system to come to his office immediately. With a worried knot curling up inside her stomach, she looked around for the man she had come to see._

_"Ah, Kyoko-chan~" Lory Takarada cooed. He stood from his spot on the leather couch. Another man dressed like an American cowboy was still seated beside him. "Come in, dear girl. Don't be shy."_

_With the encouragement of her boss, Kyoko walked steadily toward the couch opposite the gentlemen and took a seat. The President did the same. "Umm... You... you wanted to see me Takarada-san?" she asked innocently._

_"Yes, Kyoko-chan. I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Ricky Jay." he announced, gesturing to the man next to him. The man smiled politely and tipped his black cowboy hat. Kyoko smiled in return and nodded her head slightly. "He's a free-lance director and a producer. We've work together many times in the past." Kyoko just kept nodding. "Well," he continued. "He's in the middle of casting actors and actresses for a new movie he is directing. He told me about it and showed me the script and asked if any from LME would be able to perform the character's personalities easily. Since you just finished with your role in "Dark Moon" and just about to finish your other job, I thought about giving you a shot."_

_Kyoko perked up. "A job?! In a movie?!" she nearly squealed, but kept her voice professional._

_"Yeah." the man named Ricky spoke in a low, raspy voice. "Ya kinda look the part too. In my mind, the lead actress looks almost exactly like ya, 'cept she has a slouch and a glare and doesn't smile." he continued to babble._

_Kyoko blinked. "The... t-the lead?" she asked breathlessly._

_"Yes. R. J. is offering you the lead role in his new movie, 'Swift Current'." Takarada confirmed. Kyoko was at a loss for words. "I know that this may come as a shock, seeing as you're not used to how things work in show business, but this is a splendid opportunity to become known." he said in a paternal voice. "If you don't feel up to it, there is no pressure to take the role."_

_"If ya don't wanna take the part, it's no big thing. I still haven't decided on the other lead yet, so if you decline, I can still find a new one." Ricky the cowboy explained._

_"So?" the President asked, leaning forward, hands folded together, elbows resting on his knees. "What do you say, Kyoko-chan?"_

_**{END FLASHBACK}**_

_I am going to play the lead role in a movie. I should be focusing, but my mind keeps going over my conversation with Chiharu-san. How could she even THINK that was the case? Tsuruga-san and I do NOT have that kind of relationship!_ I stepped up to the elevator and pressed the up button. _I-it doesn't even sound right... Tsuruga-san likes the tall, attractive model types like Chiharu-san herself, not meek starter actresses like me..._ The bing of the elevator jostled me out of my troubled thoughts.

"Anyway!" I said out loud, making the words ring around the steel lift. "I have a new job to worry about! Tsuruga-san always says that I should focus on one task at a time to stay strong." I pumped my fists and smiled. As I reached out to press the third floor button, a hand came through the closing doors making them automatically separate again.

"G-good! I caught it in time..." a male voice panted. The man raised his head slowly. "The elevator's here..." As his eyes met mine, they grew wide and his mouth dropped. "K-k-k-k-k!!" he stuttered. Behind him, a shadow figure appeared.

"K-k-k-k? What is that supposed to mean, Yashiro-san?" the low voice of the shadow man asked.

I could feel my eyes expand in my head at the sound of that voice. Taking my gaze off of the surprised man, I quickly jerked my head up to look into the face now in front of me. "T-... Tsuruga-san? Yashiro-san?" I asked, oddly out of breath.

Ren Tsuruga and his manager Yukihito Yashiro stepped into the elevator. Tsuruga-san smiled politely while Yashiro-san twittered like a bird. "Kyoko-chan!! What a pleasure to see you today! This really is an amazing coincidence. We were just on our way up, too!" He looked at Tsuruga-san as he pushed the button to go up then smiled at me again. "Why are you here, Kyoko-chan?"

"Uhh..." was all my mind processed. Usually when I saw Tsuruga-san, he was elegantly dressed and always had a cool air about him, but today was not a regular day. Before me stood a Ren Tsuruga dressed in full on model clothes. A loose fitting black silk shirt buttoned only once half way down was showing off his sleek bare chest with tuffs of dark hair and a small gold chain displaying the name of his modeling agency, 'Armandy'. His belt had been buckled haphazardly around his waist, not even in an attempt to hold up his dark blue low riding jeans which had large, horizontal rips down the legs in a asymmetrical pattern. The shoes he wore were pure black dress shoes with silver design claw marks along the tops and sides. But the thing that captured my attention the most was the heavenly brow eyes under his long brown bangs that seemed to always put my mind in a trance.

I was startled out of my brain fog by a hand waving abruptly in front of my face. "HELLO?! EARTH TO KYOKO-CHAN!" Yashiro-san's voice penetrated my haze.

"Huh? Oh, excuse me. What did you say?" I asked, feeling my face get a tad bit hotter.

"I said hello and asked why you're here." he stated obviously.

"Oh! I came to have a meeting with Sawara-san! Why are you here Tsuruga-san? I thought you had a shoot today?" I questioned.

"I have a meeting with the President today. I came straight from the location to make it on time." Tsuruga-san explained, gesturing to his flamboyant apparel.

"So that explains the get-up. I remember you told me you don't like to wear your photo clothes to the office. Of course, you do have your title as the 'King of Punctuality' to up-hold." I giggled. A small smile graced his lips.

The sound of the elevator opening stopped the conversation. "Well, this is our floor Kyoko-chan." Yashiro-san said. The dial said it was the third floor.

"Oh, this really is a coincidence! This is my floor, too!" I stepped out with the two men and walked down the hallway. "You remember that movie offer I mentioned a while back, Tsuruga-san? Well, guess what? I got the lead role! My meeting today is to inform me of the location and the other cast members."

Tsuruga-san smiled down into my beaming face. "You don't say. That is very impressive, Mogami-san. I hope it goes well."

We continued to talk until we came to a highly decorative door at the very end of the hall, the President's office.

"You're going in here?" Tsuruga-san asked politely pointing at the door.

"Yes. I was told to report directly to the President's office. I'm sure Sawara-san and I will leave you with the President in a little bit. Sorry to inconvenience you, Tsuruga-san." I apologized with a bow.

"No, no. It's no trouble at all." He raised a hand and knocked on the large door. A echoed command to enter was spoken on the other side and he quickly opened the door and held it for me and Yashiro-san.

**_((What will happen next?! I'm the writer, so I know before you~ XP I really hate writing flashbacks, I never seem to get 'em right... but, I think I did this one well? -shrugs- Please reivew and look forward to the next chapter~))_**


	3. A Twisted Turn Of Events

**_((Presenting the third chapter. Yay for Ren~ ^_^))_**

**__****_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand name product mentioned in my story._**

**_Swift Current_**

**_Chapter Three... A Twisted Turn Of Events..._**

Walking past Tsuruga-san, I walked into the lavish office. The President sure loved to go all out. This week, a beach theme covered the inside of Takarada-san's room, complete with real palm trees in a portable sad box, fold-able lounge chairs under a heat lamp, and a small kiddie pool placed strategically in the center of the room. The President was seated contently in said pool. Taking a sip from his glass with an umbrella in it, he bid us come further into the strangely decorated room by waving his other hand. He sighed pleasently after he finished off the last of the beverage and handed it over to his servant/assistant, who was dressed in matching attire; a pink Hawaiian styled shirt, a pair of lime green kakki shorts, and a straw hat covering his already sunglass covered eyes from the beam of the office lights. After getting his refill, Takarada-san looked in our direction. "Ah. Kyoko-chan? You and Ren-kun came together?"

"Oh, no." I corrected. "Tsuruga-san and Yashiro-san took the same elevator up with me."

"Oh, well that's good, too. Ren-kun... I like your outfit, but you didn't have to get all dolled up for me." he joked, noting Tsuruga-san's clothes.

"I just came from a shoot location. I apologize for not changing before getting here. We were running a little late." Tsuruga-san said, bowing.

"That's quite alright. It is I who is to blame for asking you to meet with me on such short notice."

"No, it is my fault for being late." Tsuruga-san urged.

"The fault falls on me as his manager for scheduling things too close to each other." Yashiro-san added woefully, also bowing.

"No one is to blame and you're all just taking in circles. How 'bout that?" came a voice from behind the President's desk. The tall leather chair swiveled around to reveal Sawara-san seated in a laid back position.

"Sawara-san!" I said surprised. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Yes, but I decided to try out the President's new massage chair while I waited." He fiddled with a small remote on the desk. The chair started to make a quiet humming noise. "Ahhhh.... It f-f-f-feeeeels soooo g-gooood....." he sighed, shutting his eyes and getting lost in the sensation for a moment.

"Yes. Now that we're all here...?" Takarada-san started.

Sawara-san opened his eyes quickly and jolted out of the chair. "Ahem. Yes. Right." He walked over to stand next to the President's pool. The servant/assistant brought a manila envelope and handed it to him. "Thank you." he said, turning his attention back to me. "Here you are Kyoko-chan. Your papers for the movie. The script is on a floppy disk in there. Also included is the complete cast list. R.J. just got the last actor to sign his contract this morning."

I grabbed the envelope and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sawara-san!" A large smile played on my face. All of the men in the room smiled back at me. "Oh!" I gasped, turning to face Tsuruga-san. "I'm done now, right? I should leave so you can have your meeting. Goodbye everyone."

Just as I spun around to head to the large doors, Takarada-san called out, "Kyoko-chan~ Don't you want to know who the other lead is in the movie with you?" His voice was full of teasing and taunting.

At the sound of his tone, I just _had_ to turn around. I slowly walked back to the group of men. "Well... I was going to look after I left... Why?" I questioned cautiously.

"Go ahead and look." he urged, a mischievous smile planted on his face.

With a gulp and a knot in my stomach, I glanced at the thin envelope in my hands. I could feel the floppy disk through the yellow-ish wrapping. I reached up and undid the clip, opening the envelope. Peering inside, I found the sheet that said 'Cast Information' and pulled it free from the few other papers. "This?" I got a nod in as a response. Quickly skimming over the names, I found myself. "Lead female role. Samantha Reeds, a detective with a psychologist's back-round. Cold and detached, and carries herself as such.... To be played by Kyoko Mogami from LME."

"Read the next person, if you would~" the President continued to mew in a childlike voice.

I huffed and went down to the male lead. "Uhh... Lead male role. Matthew Evens, the suspected criminal. A very smooth talker and cunning in his actions. Plans in advance and is a known womanizer. To be played by--" When I saw the name, my mouth dropped. I could feel my eyes expanding to the point of exploding.

Takarada-san and Sawara-san both started to chuckle quietly at my reaction. Yashiro-san walked over to me and shook my shoulder. "Kyoko-chan? What's wrong? What does it sa--" He was struck speechless also. Simultaneously, we both looked up into Tsuruga-san's blank expression. He was looking at the sheet of paper in my hand. "Ren... Did you know about this?" his manager asked him quietly.

"I... I had no idea... They wouldn't tell me who I would be acting with. We came here today... to... find out..." he trailed off. At Tsuruga-san's answer, the President and Sawara-san couldn't restrain themselves anymore. Both the men burst into laughter. Yashiro-san, Tsuruga-san, and I all looked helplessly in their direction and they just laughed louder.

"D-Did you see their faces?!?!" Sawara-san giggled, gasping for air. "That... That was _PRICELESS!!!_"

Takarada-san stood up in his little pool, still laughing his hearty laugh, and his servant/assistant brought him a multicolored rainbow towel. "Haha~ That was worth keeping a secret. Whoo~" he said, running his hand through his black hair. He stood in front of us. "Yes. It is true that Ren-kun is going to be playing the lead role in 'Swift Current' with Kyoko-chan. You both can fit the roles to a 'T'." he addressed us with a point of his finger. "This is a great chance for both of you. Ren-kun will further promote his career and gain notoriety. And Kyoko-chan! This is a huge leap in your career. Not only are you one of the main characters, but you are also acting with a well known and well admired actor! If you do a good job, other directors and producers will beg for you to be in their movies or dramas." He finishing with a spinning motion and wrapped his towel around his neck like a cape. "You'll both become big names in the 'biz and do my company proud!! What do you say?!"

Of course, after a speech like that, I had absolutely nothing to say. All I did was stare at the paper in front of me, listening to every word the President spoke like it was from the Gospel. _I would be getting a big boost, but..._ I chanced a nervous glance at Tsuruga-san. He was staring hard at the President. I sensed a small wave of hate and rage coming from him. I wiggled uncomfortably. Usually, I _loved_ the feeling of disdainful auras emanating from people. But this time... it was as if he was mad the President had tricked him into being in a movie with _me_...

"Kyoko-chan?" I heard Sawara-san through my own thoughts.

"Y-yes?!" I answered, somewhat embarrassed that I had been staring at Tsuruga-san for so long.

"Are you going to take the part?"

I looked up at him with my uncertain golden eyes. "Umm..."

"Of course she'll be taking it." Tsuruga-san answered for me. I looked up quickly and caught his eye. He was smiling down at me. All signs of hate had vanished from his person. "I'll be taking the part, too. But... you know I don't like surprises, Takarada-san."

"Meh..." the President shrugged. "It was fun for us though~" He walked back over to his kiddie pool designed with dolphins hopping in and out of the painted on water. "You are free to go. Ren-kun's no fun when he gets serious..." the grown man whined as he played with a floating rubber ducky.

Tsuruga-san bowed and turned for the door. Yashiro-san came over to my still stunned side. "Come on, Kyoko-chan. We're leaving now." I followed him without saying a word, still holding the paper in front of me and the envelope in my other hand.

**_((Wow, that ended suddenly... I got a brain fart and had to stop for a while. Hope you like it and please comment/review~))_**


	4. A Random Prayer

**_((This chapter is kinda short and is in here just because I wanted to put it in the story somewhere... I was actually writing the next chapter and had a little of this in there. It got to be too long, or so I thought, so I just made it into a quick little chapter. No real purpose and no plot furthering-ness, but -shrugs- oh well. My story. I do what I want~ XP))_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand name product mentioned in my story._**

**_Swift Current_**

**_Chapter Four... A Random Prayer..._**

Tsuruga-san was holding the door open for us again as we left the office. I made my way slowly out of the room. It was like I was in a trance. My mind just wouldn't comprehend what had just happened. _Was Tsuruga-san mad at me? Or was he just mad at Takarada-san for not telling him ahead of time? So he could be prepared? _A nagging little voice in the back of my head told me that I should ask, but I was too confused to understand. _I'm offered a movie role. The lead. I come in to get the details and find out I'm going to act with Tsuruga-san? Yeah. That's all. What's there to be confused about? _Again, the voice nudged. _Ask him! Ask him! _The little voice shouted.

Shaking my head in an attempt to concentrate, I turned around. My face smacked into something and I felt my knees give way. I felt the envelope in one of my hands slip and fall on the ground. Before I could hit the ground, an arm that was not my own circled its way around my hip and a hand grasped my wrist. When I tried to see who had caught me, all I could see was black. I felt repressed panic build in my gut. Then I realized I had closed my eyes. I would have smacked my self in the head if not for the hand holding it. Slowly I peered through my lids. Tsuruga-san was kneeling on the ground... holding me in his lap.

"Mogami-san?" he asked quietly. "Are you alright?" His face looked concerned. Yashiro-san was standing behind him.

"Ahh." was all I said as I jumped up... or _tried _to jump up. Tsuruga-san kept a tight grip on my wrist and pulled me a little closer to him.

His face became harder, more emotionless. "Mogami-san. I asked you a question." he said in a stern tone.

Yashiro-san came around to kneel on the other side of me. "Ren, stop. You're scaring her." He looked down at me with a gentle expression. "Are you hurt, Kyoko-chan? Do you feel sick?"

"... No..." I said. "I just... I just felt a little dizzy suddenly." Tsuruga-san's grip loosened and he pulled me up carefully.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should get some rest." Yashiro-san suggested.

"No. I'm fine. I just need to clear my head. Then I will be okay." I explained, facing away from them. I turned around with a smile on my face. "Don't you two need to go to an interview? You said you had work after this, right?"

Yashiro-san sighed and smiled back. "Yeah. We should get going. Are you positive you--"

"I'm perfectly fine, Yashiro-san. Thank you for your concern." I turned to Tsuruga-san. "Thank you for catching me." I bowed quickly and looked back up.

His expression told me he didn't believe me, but he sighed and half smiled. "Make sure you don't hurt yourself when you leave. It was nice seeing you Mogami-san." he said while walking toward the elevator. Once inside, Yashiro-san pressed the button and waved. Tsuruga-san nodded his head as the door closed, leaving me alone in the barren hallway.

I let out a quick sigh and looked down at the paper still crumpled up in my hand. The name 'Ren Tsuruga' was the first thing I saw. I closed my eyes and breathed. _Why am I having so much trouble with this? _The manila envelope was lying on the ground. After picking it up, I stuffed the cast list into it and looked at the humming elevator again. I was just about to sit down on a hall bench and look at the rest of the contents of the envelope when I remembered something. Quick as a cheetah, I dashed down the stairs. A few times I almost face planted on the concrete steps, but there was no time to be worried about that at the moment. With a last giant leap, I jumped over the last railing and landed on the first floor. A woman sitting on a bench besides the stairwell nearly fell over from shock. I apologized quickly and looked around frantically. _Where...? THERE! _They were by the door already, the back entrance leading to the parking lot. Seeing their backs disappear through the door, I sprinted across the bustling lobby. I slammed against the door and hurled it open. A very loud BOOM resounded through the small, closed off parking lot as the door smashed into the wall. Tsuruga-san and Yashiro-san stood halfway between Tsuruga-san's car and the door frame where I stood panting. Both men stared wide eyed at me while I caught my breath. Yashiro-san turned to face me. "Kyoko-cha--"

"IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE WORKING WITH YOU, TSURUGA-SAN!!" I yelled, bowing deeply. My voice carried and echoed around the lot. Staying in my respectful bow, I wondered why Tsuruga-san wasn't responding. I straightened back up and looked in his direction. His back was turned and his hand was to his mouth. Yashiro-san was gapping at me, his mouth hanging so low, I thought it might fall off. I cocked my head to the side. _Was what I did so weird or funny?_

Tsuruga-san took his hand away and turned to face me, still giggling softly. "I forgot about that. Yes," he said, bowing formally. "It will be a pleasure to work with you, Mogami-san." The smile on his face shined so bright, I thought I might shrivel up from its intensity. Still laughing, he waved goodbye and they continued to his car. I waved back, standing in the door until the car was gone.

**_((Yeah... I was really bored when I wrote this part. Just wanted to throw it in somehow.. -_- Yep~ PLEASE REVIEW~))_**


	5. A Comforting Conference

**_((Tried to hurry with the uploading. I got a brain fart about halfway through and had to re-read the beginning of the story... AGAIN... Well, here it is. Enjoy~))_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand name product mentioned in my story._**

**_Swift Current_**

**_Chapter Five... A Comforting Conference..._**

The car was gone. Tsuruga-san had driven away. I was alone in a deserted parking lot. So why couldn't I _move_? My legs felt as heavy as lead. I was still waving in the direction the car had been five minutes before, the slight smile still visible on my face. I sighed and dropped my hand. It was completely numb, all the way to the elbow. I made to turn around and heard a car coming into the lot. Watching the car while it buzzed around in a quick little circle, I shuffled slowly backwards. With my other, non-numb hand that was still clutching the manila envelope, I reached out and jarred the door from its indent in the wall, letting it close gently. I sighed again and walked a couple steps toward the front gate. My bike was out there, chained up, and I felt like going home.

Suddenly, the door opened behind me and a voice called my name. "Kyoko-chan?" _I know this voice. _"Kyoko-chan, it _is _you!" As soon as I stopped and was about to turn around, graceful hands swung around my shoulders and I was pulled into a backwards hug. I craned my neck to look up into Chiharu-san's bubbly face. She smiled down at me and let me go.

I quickly turned my body around and gave her a proper hug. "Chiharu-san! What in the world are you doing here?"

"I forgot I had a meeting to discuss my contract renewal today at the office. I remembered you said you had a meeting too, and I was hoping to get here before you left!" We parted and she pointed to the man behind her, just walking in the door, carrying her purse. "That's my manager, Casey Mido." He bowed at the mention of his name and I repeated the action to be respectful.

"We got here a little earlier than I expected, Chiharu. You have fifteenminutes until your meeting is schedualed. What do you want to do?" he asked, closing the door once again.

"Is it okay if I chat with Kyoko-chan until the meeting?" she asked. Then she turned back to me with a worried look. "Unless you have something to do...?"

"No. I was planning on going home when you called out to me." I explained, the large smile returning to my senpai's lips.

"Good." she said, nodding. "Casey. I'm going to talk to Kyoko for a while." She took her purse from the mans hands. "I'll meet you at the elevator later, 'kay?"

Her manager shook his head. "Ten minutes. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Chiharu-san said rolling her eyes. "Ten minutes."

"Be here." he continued, pointing to the spot on the ground.

"Yes. Fine. Very well." the black haired actress agreed, pushing me forward and away from the manager. She ended up pushing me all the way to the ladies room, located over by the stairs. No one was in there as we walked in. Chiharu-san plopped her purse in one of the empty sinks and spun around to face me, casually leaning her slender body against a sink. "So." she so-ed. "Anything interesting happen with the movie meeting?"

Her sudden question caught me off guard. "Uh... No? Not really. I'm mean I _did_ get all the information for the movie..."

"Ooo~ Let me see!" Her voice sounded like a excited toddler getting cookies.

I couldn't resist. I handed her the manila envelope. "I still haven't gotten a chance to look over everything."

"Perfect then. We can do it together~" It was a wonder that Chiharu-san was a grown woman, considering the way she talks and acts. I watched as she flipped open the clip and slipped all of the papers out. "Lets see... You've got a floppy disk?"

"Sawara-san told me that is for the script."

"Ah. And... A list of the scenes you're in. Wow. A lot of them, almost every one it looks like." she commented with a smile.

I felt a blush creep on my face. "Yeah. I play one of the leads, so I'm going to be in a lot of scenes, I guess..."

Chiharu-san smiled sweetly and went back to the papers. "A set location page. You're going to Hokkaido? Nice. It's very pleasant this time of year. A general time schedule, some contact information for the inn and the staff people, a list of the food that will be available to you.... Gross... _Tofu_..." she laughed, running through the titles.

Somehow, having Chiharu-san reading off the information out loud felt better than what I had imagined I would feel reading it by myself later tonight. It almost made me feel relived. "Oh! Here's the cast info list!" she exclaimed, pointing to the rumpled page. "You already looked at this?" she asked, noting the folds and wrinkles. I nodded. She glanced at the list, running her cerulean eyes down all the names. "You've got a good cast here. This director knows which people to get." She handed me the paper. I looked at the other names, not knowing any of them, except the two leads. Chiharu-san noticed my silence and glided over to me. "What's the matter? You sick or something?"

"No. I'm just... nervous, I guess." I admitted quietly. "I knew something was wrong. After Tsuruga-san smiled at me, I felt relieved, but only for a while. The knot twisting around inside me came back and I had no idea why. If I was honest with myself, I would understand that I felt anxious about playing the lead role in a movie even though I'm not experienced enough. And the fact that I'm acting with professionals and Tsuruga-san, who takes acting very seriously, only makes it more scary..." Why was I telling her all this? She didn't need to share my burden. I just felt so comfortable talking with her. As soon as I started to explain, it's like the words just all poured out and I had to keep talking.

When I finished, I looked up into Chiharu-san's time worn eyes. "Sweetie, it's perfectly normal for you to feel nervous. It's your first movie. You wouldn't believe how scared I was when I stared in my first major film. Man, oh man. I was _puking_ from anxiety." she laughed.

"Eww. I don't think I'm _that_ worried." I giggled with her.

"Isn't it great though? For your first movie you get to work with Tsuruga-kun! He can be a big help."

"Yes." I said, feeling me troubles dissipate. "I'm very excited to be working with him again."

She smiled. When she opened her mouth to speak again, the voice of her manager echoed around the tiled room. "Chiharu! I know you're in there. It's time to head up!"

Chiharu-san let out a low growl. "Yeah! I'm comin'!" She grabbed her purse from its spot in the sink.

"_NOW_ Chiharu!"

"He seems to talk to you pretty casually..." I observed randomly. "Are you close?"

"He my husband's best friend. He was even the best man at our wedding."

"Oh. That's nice, being able to work with people you like."

"Yeah right. Casey is a lazy bum about anything _other_ than work. He lays around _our_ house all day, eating up all _our_ food, leaving his socks on _our_ floor. He drives me nuts sometimes."

"Lets get a move on Chiharu!"

"SHUT UP!" I blinked as the yelled command bounced around in my ears. Chiharu-san started walking to the door, stopped, and turned around again.

"Here's my number." She handed me a card with her name in curvy handwriting. "If you ever need to talk to someone, or just wanna cry your pretty little eyes out, call me, 'kay?"

"Yes." I nodded and smiled.

She smiled back and gave me a brief hug. "You're going to be fine, sweetie. Just listen to the others and pay close attention. Goodbye, Kyoko-chan."

"Goodbye Chiharu-san." I said as she walked out of the bathroom. "And thank you!" I heard her managers mumbled voice as they walked down the hall to the elevator. I looked in the mirror and saw the huge smile on my face. Seeing it only made me smile bigger. I fluffed up my hair and straightened my shirt. With a spin, I walked out of the bathroom.

My energy was refueled by my talk with Chiharu-chan. I could feel my will power returning and powering my drive. _I am going to do my best! _I walked out of the front doors of LME and breathed in the fresh spring air. Tomorrow I would pack and the next day, April sixth, I would be on location in beautiful Hokkaido! _Watch out, everyone!_ I cheered in my head, getting on my bike. _This Kyoko's revved up and raring to go!_

**_((Chiharu-chan makes a comeback! I know you people don't really care about my OC creation, but Chiharu-chan is my ROCK. SHE KEEPS ME ON TASK AND ADDS SUPPORT. And I'll make her pop up in the story just to spite you all! Bwaha~ Please don't even bother to pay attention to my ramblings. They sometimes don't even make sense to me. And she won't show up a lot anymore. Not yet. Heh heh -evil smirk- You'll have to keep reading to find out. Well, first I gotta write it... Bah~ Hoped you found it satisfying. Reviews, tips, and encouragement are always welcome~))_**


	6. A New Beginning

**_((Thank you for hangin' with me. Writers block and all... -_-' Here's the n_****_ext chapter. What will happen?! Scroll to see! XD))_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any other brand product mentioned in my story._**

**_Chapter Six... A New Beginning..._**

I watched with childlike wonder as the beautiful trees of Northern Hokkaido whizzed by. _Of course, I have no idea what types of trees these are... I do think they look lovely, though! _We, the staff and cast members, had all loaded on to three separate Greyhound buses at eight in the morning to transport all of us to the main location for the movie. The drive was supposed to take roughly two hours and it had only been about half an hour since we left. The director and some of the other staff workers were supposed to meet us at the site. I was on the bus that held a great deal of the other actors and actresses. I knew none of them. I was sitting up in the front by myself in a seat, my small hand bag at my side.

Every once and a while, I would look back at a noise or a laugh and catch myself gawking at my bus companions. All of the other people were _exceptional_. Their physical appearances were stunning. Flowing hair, finely trimmed nails, expensive stylish clothes, well built bodies, glowing makeup. Even the tone of their voices floating gently into my ears was magical. Looking back at them, all smiling and laughing, they looked like Gods. So perfect, so pristine. My head drooped and my eyes became glued to the floor and my cheap clearance sandals. _Can I really be trying to be like them? I don't think I could ever be that perfect... _I started to wish I had Moko-san or Momose-san here with me. It felt uneasy not knowing _one _person. There was only one actor I knew that would be playing in the movie, but he was absent from the bus. Tsuruga-san wasn't with us today because of a photo shoot that would last the entire morning. He would be able to join us at the site around lunch time.

I sighed and brushed my skirt with my hand. I had worn a skirt for no reason, but I had put on a long sleeve shirt because I heard it was cold in Hokkaido. It was a dark, dull green that seemed to match my dark blue skirt in color tone. Over the shirt, I had thrown on a mellow brown colored feathery vest and on my head sat a worn out sled-dog hat that the boss at Darumaya loaned to me. It was supposed to keep my brain on task and bring me good luck.

Leaning my head against the window, I saw a truck full of pigs pass slowly by. _Why pigs? In Hokkaido? Isn't it usually supposed to be cold?_ I asked, amused.

Suddenly, I felt something touch my leg. I whirled my head around and looked into the bright blue eyes of one of the actresses sitting in the back. Well, she _was_ sitting in the back. "Why pigs in cold Hokkaido?" she asked with a cock of her head.

I blinked. _Did this woman read my mind? _"Umm. I-I don't know. I was just wondering that myself." I said carefully.

She smiled at me. "Really? That's so weird!" Her voice was low and mellow, giving off a strong aura as she spoke. Her long blonde hair was a shock to me. How many blonde's had I seen in Japan even since I started performing? I could count them on one hand. She was dressed in a pretty white skirt with matching blouse and a large yellow bag slung across her shoulder. She stuck out her hand. "The name's Lynda Ryo. I'm going to play Analisa."

"Oh! Hello! It is very nice to meet you, Ryo-san." I said taking her hand and making a slight bow in my seat. "My name is Kyoko Mogami. I am going to play--"

"Samantha, right? You're the up and coming talento that's playing the lead with Ren Tsuruga." she finished in a knowing voice.

I just blinked again. "Yes. How do you know that?"

"Everyone is talking about it. And please, just call me Lynda. Ryo-san sounds like a guys name." she said with a smile.

I nodded and smiled. "Analisa? So you are playing the supposed victim?"

"Yeah. Just a nice little role. Good thing I show up in the movie as the crime develops, huh?" Lynda-san laughed, nudging my arm.

"You do? I thought once you died, you were out of the movie?"

She looked at me confused. "No... I get to be in the movie when Samantha finds clues. There are going to be little flashback things... Didn't you read the script?"

My face was getting a little warm. "... Actually, no... I don't know how to read the floppy disk Sawara-san gave me..."

"You're the lead and you didn't read your script? Jeez..." She reached into her own bag and pulled out a thick pile of papers. "I can be sorta a control freak so when I printed my part, I printed everybody's part. If you want, I can give you your lines. We don't have any scenes together besides at the end and the flashbacks."

She handed me the load and smiled. "You could probably skim through it and get the gist of the story line by the time we get there."

I looked into her kind face. "Thank you. Really, thank you. I was planning on just getting an extra copy and learning it tonight."

"That would take you _forever _though!" Lynda-san said in a exaggerated tone. "This is better by far."

"Mmm." I said and started to look at the first page. "Swift Current. Directed and produced by Ricky Jay."

"I met that man. Ricky Jay? He's really.... strange." Lynda-san commented as I spoke.

"Yes. He was nice though."

"Yep. So would you like any help understanding the plot, Kyoko-san?"

I glanced back up at her. "I haven't started reading it yet and I have no idea what the plot is besides it's a crime story... So any help would be appreciated!" I said with a smile. She smiled back at me and we started to look at the heavy pile of papers together.

With Lynda-san's help, I started to get a good understanding of the beginning of the story and my part in its development. I was to play Samantha, the tough detective, on the verge of getting a promotion that she always wanted. Her father had been a police man, but he always wanted to become a detective. Someone who looks for clues and helps catch the bad guy, not just do all the dirty jobs without knowing why. He had recently retired and was in bad shape with his heart. She never knew what happened to her mother and her father wouldn't tell her.

We looked through a few more parts important to the plot and came near the end. A bunch of the lines and pages were missing.

"Apparently, the director says it's no fun if the cast knows every twist of the plot in the beginning. So he has the rest of the script at the location. He's gonna release the ending when it's time to act it out. Such a strange man..." Lynda-san explained about the script missing the crucial ending.

"I think that's a good idea."

Her head perked up. "Why? You don't get to know what happens."

"Exactly!" I cheered. "You get to learn about the movie while you are acting it. It's like you are watching it for the first time, you don't know how it will resolve itself. You get genuine feelings at the end. Surprise, happiness, sadness. You can try and fake those emotions, but if you can have real emotions in your acting, it's better... right?" I said, confusing myself a bit at my own explanation.

Lynda-san thought about this for a moment. "... Yeah... I guess that makes sense. He said he wanted to bring out our best acting..." She turned to me. "You know, for a no name talento, you're pretty smart Kyoko-san!"

I shook my head. "No. I just thought that was a neat way for the cast members to enjoy the movie."

"Still, I never would have come up with that." she sighed and placed her hand on mine. "I like you Kyoko-san. You're nice and kind. I hope we can be friends during the shoot." she smiled.

My face lit up. "Yes!" I nodded and smiled back.

The rest of the trip went smoothly. Lynda-san and I reviewed the script and talked about how we thought it would end. _If all of the others here are as nice as Lynda-san, then this is going to be a fun experience!_ I thought, glancing back at the other cast members. Somehow, they looked like normal people now. With their own problems, worries, and mistakes. I looked back at my new friends smiling face and sighed contently. _I'm sure I'll have fun with this movie!_

_**((Yeah, wasn't were I was thinking of going, but whatever. Kyoko-chan's now gotta friend~ Yays! Sorry, I was trying to think and my hands wrote this... Hope you liked it. XP))**_


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